The Chaser [sequel to The Mudblood]

Chapter 6: Year 1

"Do you really think you should try out in your...condition?"

The wince was apparent in Leah's voice, but I still pried my swollen eyes open to witness it. She sat across from me at the Slytherin table while Britney was pressed against my side, dabbing my irritated eyelids with one of her many tonics.

Though I loathed yielding to their assistance, I'd been more than a little grateful when they discovered me in our room last night and helped alleviate the allergic reaction Scorpius's bloody cologne had caused.

Britney continued giving Scorpius the stink eye where he sat farther down the table, smelling like pine and vanilla, as all the first years did. He'd sprayed the whole bottle in his attempt to separate Albus and me, infecting both our rooms with the stench. I would've been a teensy bit grateful for the heroic effort if it had led to the reclaiming of my journal, but nope, Albus still had that perfect piece of blackmail.

He'd chosen to sit with Louis and the Ravenclaws today, refusing to get within a ten meter radius of me, Scorpius, or his own brother. From what my blurred vision could see, James appeared to be mouthing words to me from the Gryffindor table, but I didn't have the visual acuity to make sense of them.

"I don't have any choice but to try out," I sighed, pushing around the food on my plate that I had zero interest in eating. "My mum will disown me, and I'll have to live with Duncan."

"You could live with me," Leah offered. "A-and my dad, of course... I won't let him drink your blood, I swear."

I shook my head even though the prospect of living with a vampire actually sounded more appealing than living with my mum. He probably wouldn't scream in my ears and force me to do pushups at the start of every hour. Based on what Leah had told us about her dad, he'd probably let me do whatever the hell I wanted.

"I'll be fine. My mum made me practice even when I had the mumblemumps. This can't be any worse."

My roommates shared a look like they planned to physically restrain me. I really hoped they wouldn't try. Leah might've been part vampire and Britney might've been large and determined enough to put up a fight, but they lacked my ruthlessness. I would find a way to incapacitate them and then continue on to my destination without looking back.

"So, Future Quidditch Star," Jewel began as he sat next to Leah, "where'd your mum acquire those Dancing Donuts? Mine made me do this wicked ancient Egyptian dance, and I'd like to relive the experience. You know, it's one of my life goals to drag our society back into ancient Egyptian times, probably through a skyscraper sized Time Turner. Or maybe I'll magically rip open the fabric of spacetime... The details are fuzzy, all right, but we'll get there."

"She...probably bought them from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," I replied. Then I shoved food in my mouth in the hope he wouldn't continue the conversation.

"No way Aunt Ashley went into the Weasleys' shop," Duncan just had to chime in as he squeezed on Leah's other side. She tried nudging him away, but he didn't notice.

"Maybe Lainey Fitzroy gave them to her," I said.

"Hm, they did seem like prototypes," Jewel agreed, thank Merlin. "Damn, s'pose I'll have to just start dancing and hope my body's muscle memory takes over."

"The donuts made me break dance," Mose said, now on Britney's other side. "It was so cool. Did anyone see me?"

"Of course, you were the life of the party," Britney said, genuinely enthused, and he blushed before stuffing his face with scones.

"He could only dance like that because of magic—because Alvie pranked us," Duncan said. "Sure, it was fun, but she was mocking us. Do any of you have self-esteem or dignity? We can't stand for this."